Recognition withheld by school principal
URL1 https://nypost-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/nypost.com/2022/12/23/top-school-principal-hides-academic-awards-in-name-of-equity/amp/ URL2 https://www.nationalreview.com/news/top-u-s-high-school-deprived-students-of-national-merit-awards-as-part-of-equity-policy/ URL3 Copy of email exchange between parent and school. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23466063-national-merit-tjhsst-emails Scores from the PSAT is used to shortlist semifinalists for National Merit Scholarship. The school needs to provide a letter, among other considerations to help with candidacy for National Merit Scholarship (NMS) finalist. In this specific case, over the past 2 years, the school didn’t notify the semi finalists, who in turn didn’t get a chance to submit supporting documents on time for consideration as finalists. It appears that for those on the know, the process is clear and it’s likely that they turned all the cogs on their own to go ahead with the finalist application. For those who didn’t know, they didn’t get a chance to participate for finalist selection. These students missed out on having this credential not listed in their college application as well as upto $6000 In scholarships. This specific school had so many successful students that pretty much every student would / could have been a National merit finalist or semi finalist. Parents of high school bound seniors are encouraged to learn about the process of applying for NMS finalist and work with the school to get the supporting materials to submit their child for consideration for finalist. The key finding is for these parents or students to actively seek online resource that confirms their semi finalist status and do the leg work to subunit a NMS finalist application. Expecting the school to initiate the workflow on your behalf might not be the best strategy. To become a finalist … At the same time, of course, semifinalists are eligible to submit a scholarship application to become National Merit Finalists. This application is actually quite similar to the college application process. Semifinalists must submit to the NMSC: Their high school transcripts or other academic record A letter of recommendation (usually from your high school principal) A personal essay, usually about an experience you’ve had or obstacle you’ve overcome See exhibit below, especially the section for finalist. There is some useful insight, especially for high school students and their parents in URL2 comments section. Excerpt from comments section of URL 2 that provide context: This is an issue that has propped up in the recent years as the comment below indicates. There is a former student in this thread who indicated that they didn’t have this issue in this specific school more than 10 years ago. This is doesn’t contradict the statement made in this article. TJ have been withholding notifications of National Merit awards from the school's families, most of them Asian for few years now. Gromrus 6 hours ago (Edited) So infuriatingly unfair to the students, their own students! Being from a rural, Southern, though relatively good high school, my National Merit Scholarship was one of the few accomplishments that could mean something to college admissions offices. As a first generation college attender with many relatives who spoke non standard English (incorrect vernacular grammar) perhaps I have a little identification with the immigrant kids. The basic unfairness to them is galling. Especially galling is that the school still gets to record and publicise that it had X number of National Merit commended, semifinalists, finalists, scholars, even though those who brought them that honor were not able to use the designation for their own benefit when it counted. Comment from former student at this school: Semi finalists are published every year well in advance https://www.fcps.edu/news/two-hundred-thirty-eight-fcps-students-are-2023-national-merit-semifinalists. Being a semi finalist doesn’t really help your app from the school anyways.. I’m agreeing that commended students weren’t notified it seems, my point is that nobody at the school cares about it (and you can figure it out if you want anyways). It’s practically a participation award at the school. Sure, in the future they should do a better job to notify kids, but the article makes it seem like a huge deal when it’s really not steve_switzky 1 day ago I forgot to add one thing that is especially reprehensible on the part of the school. To become a finalist, the school needs to write a letter of recommendation, the student must write an essay, and the student must corroborate their score with the SAT or ACT. Can’t see how that could happen with the school remaining silent. steve_switzky 1 day ago I believe the top 50,000 nationwide make the first cut to be “commended” with around 35,000 of those being semi-finalists. To be a semi-finalist you must make a cutoff for your individual state. Once you are a semi finalist, you need a letter from your school, an essay, and a corroborating SAT or ACT score. Most of the 35,000 become finalists and are eligible for monetary awards. per the NMSC website: "A total of about 50,000 participants receive recognition in the National Merit® Scholarship Program. In early September, over16,000 of the 50,000 high scorers will be notified that they have qualified as Semifinalists. Semifinalists are the highest-scoring entrants in each state. NMSC will notify them through their schools and provide scholarship application materials explaining requirements to advance in the competition for National Merit Scholarships. The remaining 34,000 high scorers will be named Commended Students and will receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise, but they will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships
National Review
New York Post
What abt the feelings of the kids who worked hard ??
Nobody cares about hard work anymore, just virtue signaling.
Excerpt from comments section of URL 2: steve_switzky 1 day ago I forgot to add one thing that is especially reprehensible on the part of the school. To become a finalist, the school needs to write a letter of recommendation, the student must write an essay, and the student must corroborate their score with the SAT or ACT. Can’t see how that could happen with the school remaining silent. steve_switzky 1 day ago I believe the top 50,000 nationwide make the first cut to be “commended” with around 35,000 of those being semi-finalists. To be a semi-finalist you must make a cutoff for your individual state. Once you are a semi finalist, you need a letter from your school, an essay, and a corroborating SAT or ACT score. Most of the 35,000 become finalists and are eligible for monetary awards. per the NMSC website: "A total of about 50,000 participants receive recognition in the National Merit® Scholarship Program. In early September, over16,000 of the 50,000 high scorers will be notified that they have qualified as Semifinalists. Semifinalists are the highest-scoring entrants in each state. NMSC will notify them through their schools and provide scholarship application materials explaining requirements to advance in the competition for National Merit Scholarships. The remaining 34,000 high scorers will be named Commended Students and will receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise, but they will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships
This article is not real. Over 50% of this schools students are finalists. The students can log into the college board and check online themselves. A way more reasonable explanation than “wokeness” is that the country’s #1 private high school has too many national merit scholars that it’s not a big deal for them to celebrate every single one
Okay did anyone tell the students they can log into the college board? Ok don’t celebrate but why weren’t parents notified ? Or you mean sending an email to parents is also a celebration?
I don’t know much about school systems in US. I hope parents sue the schools and these monster teachers for the damages. This is totally unacceptable.
This article is not real or credible
Copying what I put on another thread— I went to this high school, quite a few years ago though. While I agree with the general sentiment, the article tries to spin something that literally matters 0. “Commended” status is strictly based on your PSAT score, and those numbers are published online. Every student can easily figure out whether they got it or not. Colleges also don’t really care about it, since you can submit your PSAT score anyways. In my year almost a third of the class (I think a total of 160 or so) got semi-finalist status, and the rest practically got commended status, so it’s not really a huge accomplishment, more of a participation award (at my school at least)…
@rizzmaster why u so invested in this?
Passionate about media literacy. I don’t mind comparing conservative or liberal arguments but we have to agree on the facts first as a society. It makes everyone better.
Yeah but nothing in the article is factually untrue. You have an anonymous commenter saying it didn’t happen when he was there 10 years ago and this principal has only been around for 5 years.
There’s another thread about this. The story is closed to being completely debunked
Can you link the thread please?
Second this, where is the thread/source?